Saturday morning, February 9, 2013
Our hosts Shinsuke and Maho kindly drove us into Tokyo to see a beautiful garden. The 359 year old former shogun garden is now completely surrounded by towering glass office blocks. A typical Tokyo contrast of old and new, natural harmony amidst man made technology. Although it was severely damaged in World War II and the Great Kanto Earthquake it was repaired just a year after WWII and opened to the public for the first time.
Entry gate.
Hinge detail.
It's mid winter but already some cherry blossoms are out
Surround wall
300 year old black pine
Maho and Shimsuke tell us that this is their first time to visit this Japanese garden.
Glass and grass
This straw band is intended to prevent certain insect pests from attacking the tree.
Cedar bridge to an island tea house
Nakajima-no-Chaya (tea house) from the Edo period. Built in 1707, burnt down in 1724, rebuilt in 1788, burned down in an air raid in 1944 and rebuilt in 1988. Life wasn't meant to be easy...
Raked gravel garden
Beautiful interior with tatami mats on the floor and sliding paper shoji screens for walls.
Warm matcha (powdered green tea) and soy bean confectionary
Following the tea ceremony instructions with Maho and Shinsuke. As you can see, Japanese are very serious people...
"What is in that little cupboard?"
The sliding night doors
What is the girl in the the little green coat photographing?
Roof details of course.
Don't you just love that corner detail?
Shoes off and on again
Entry gate
Path
Otsutaibashi bridge
Matsu-no-Chaya (Swallow tea house) recently rebuilt from old drawings and photographs
Japanese Camillia bush
A wedding party
The happy couple
Cedar water gate.
The thing about visiting a garden is that you really don't want to leave. How dare Adam do this to us. I often quote a line from a 1960s Joanie Mitchell song; "we all want to get back to the garden". Oh well, not long now I'm sure...
Where will we go now? Tokyo here we come.
Lloydnalex
Hi Lloyd and Alex, I really enjoyed reading your travel blog today. Lovely to catch up and see what you've both been up to.
ReplyDeleteLots of love Steve and Maureen, your old Bethel pals from a long long time ago xxx.
Wow, you guys are so adventurous!!!! Can't wait to see more pictures......
ReplyDeleteLove Mike & Linda
What is your mission in Japan???
ReplyDelete